Hello, I was thinking about pruning some JMs and was wondering about a good method for pruning, with that question in mind, I would also like to ask the opposite; is it ok to just let them (almost) go with very little pruning? I sometimes enjoy their natural form thats created on their own. I was going through videos and came across a video with a pruning concept that made me curious if Its a legitimate pruning method. Based off of the video, what I get from it is that this particular guy is just mass producing and selling for profit, not a collector, but I could be wrong. Video: Thank you in advance.
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Yeah, forget about the guy in the video. That's not the right thing to do. You can get away with minimal pruning, although some formative pruning can be necessary. I've attached a picture of 'Chitose yama' (English form) from last year, late in the year where you can see the structure. It has never been pruned. But like most JMs it drops inner small branches, where the sun doesn't penetrate the canopy, and "self prunes". This makes it form a very classic shape without any intervention. If you want to prune though, listen to JT, not that guy in the video. (Shudder). -E
I love that Mr. Green Jeans guy in the video. It looks like he trims his JM's the way he trims his kids hair. I found his web site when I was first getting into Japanese Maples a couple of years ago. He also seems to think most JM's should look like toad stools. Ridiculous! I am pretty new to JM's and I've only trimmed one of mine, an Autumn Moon, with any significance when I first got it. It had a lot of crossed branches and needed to be opened up a bit. The rest I have left alone except for removing dead branches and an occasional stray branch that looks too long, too vertical or somehow out of balance. It's worked for me so far.
